Rise of the Heroes
by scriptdragonslayer
Summary: Two mysterious people crash right through the barrier. The campers have have many questions, which the newcomers may or may not be willing to answer. Epic adventures, deep conversations, gloomy prophecies, and more await readers inside. Rated T for language, mostly. OC-centric, but canon characters appear.
1. In Which I Run Into Camp

**AN: As the summary said, it's an idea that just wouldn't go away unless I gave it a home in words. And now it's here to stay. I really hope you like it, because it's fun to write. Oh, and shoutout to two wonderful people without whom the story would be so much poorer: anonymousHippocampus (go read "Camp Echidna") and my awesome, intelligent, and ever-so-geeky beta reader. Thank you so much, both of you. And now, the story, after a short disclaimer break.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except a copy of all the books and the laptop I'm writing this on. Go thank (or curse) Rick Riordan for creating (and then owning) the Percy Jackson series and its characters.**

* * *

I thought that my day had reached the lowest point it could get when fireballs started falling from the sky. Boy, was I wrong. I had no idea that the fireballs were only the beginning of a day that would go down in history as one of the Worst Days Ever.

"INCOMING!" yelled my passenger, informing me of the fact that a fireball was about to hit the ground where I was about to run. Thankfully, the warning came in time, and I was able to dodge most of the explosion, getting only slightly singed in the process. Her hands pounded on my shoulders, and she urged, "Come on, faster! They're catching up!"

My breath was too precious to waste on snapping at her, so I just concentrated on running as fast as I could. The scolding would come if we got out of this alive. It took all my focus to notice every rock, tree, bush, branch, and dip that could spell doom for the two of us. As we burst through a clearing, I strained my ears to catch any sign of our pursuers. I was immediately rewarded with sounds of hundreds of breaking branches and rustling leaves, but forced my attention back to the path ahead.

I jerked right, just in time to avoid being incinerated by the fireball that impacted right where I was about to leap. The shock wave from the resulting explosion knocked me off balance, and I skidded across the forest floor, right into a tree. However, it only delayed me for a moment, and I went right back to fleeing from our pursuers. The forest ahead grew thicker, and I was forced to slow down considerably. I tried to aim for the areas where the trees grew closest together, several times almost unseating my rider. I felt the sting of numerous cuts open from outstretched branches, but ignored the pain and kept going, intent only on escaping our pursuers.

Finally making herself useful, my passenger unsheathed her axe and began swinging it at branches and trunks in an effort to slow anyone behind us down. It worked, and I heard the cries of the wounded behind us. Unfortunately, they quickly changed to yells of determination, which served to help me catapult us to even greater speeds. I couldn't spare the time to glance at my legs, but I knew that they would only appear as blurs to any bystander, though it would be hard-pressed to find one in the New York woods. I saw a stream meandering through the forest, and leaped over it, to continue running on the relatively clear ground there.

I didn't allow myself to become distracted with thoughts of safety by the more stable ground, but focused all my senses to warn me of further attacks. Just in time, too, because more explosions began to rock the ground behind me. Water sprinkled down all around, thrown up from the stream by the shock waves. Ahead, I saw an uncharacteristically even break in the forest, almost as if a line had been drawn in the trees themselves. Just before I reached it, I noticed a fallen log. I leaped to avoid it, right over the line in the foliage.

Time slowed down. That's how it felt, anyway. I was stuck in midair, moving like molasses. My body wouldn't respond to any commands, and the stiffness on my shoulders told me that my passenger had the same problem. Then we suddenly moved forward normally again, as if we had broken through some kind of barrier. Unprepared for the change, I landed badly and tumbled uncontrollably until I came to a stop. It took the last of my energy to lift my head up to make sure my passenger made it, and then I lapsed into unconsciousness.

* * *

The first thing I was aware of was a repeated prodding in my side. I swatted at it weakly, and it ceased for a moment, then came back even stronger. I willed my eyes open, and the sight of a frowning girl leaning over me, long hair almost touching my face, made me want to close them.

"Ha! You're awake! Don't try to fool me! I saw your eyes open," she told me.

Keeping my eyes firmly shut, I mumbled, "Five more minutes," as I let my head go slack and bump against the grass-covered ground. I hoped the ploy would make her go away.

"Fine," she said, and I almost relaxed. But then a much harder jab came, deeper in my side. I jumped to my feet and snapped into a combat stance. The offender held one end of a bow, the other end right where my ribs had been a second ago. When she made no further move to provoke me, I relaxed, and studied her a little more closely. She was athletically built, with unrestrained auburn hair, and was wearing comfortable-looking jeans with a sheathed dagger hanging at her side and a bright orange shirt.

"Camp Half-Blood. Well, that explains…" I jabbed a thumb at the barrier, "why I didn't wake up dead by monster, and why you didn't just put an arrow in me." I snorted. "Of all the places to accidentally run into, literally, while being chased by a horde of monsters, this would probably be the best." I looked around cursorily before returning my gaze to the camper. "I was traveling with my sister. Have you seen her? She's hard to miss, with the-"

"Bright blue hair? Yeah. She's right over there." With the bow, she pointed to a shallow dip a few yards away. The camper laughed. "I've never seen anyone with quite that color hair before."

I walked over to my still-unconscious sister. "Yeah. She really likes it, but I have no idea why. Whatever makes her happy, you know?" I bent down, and poked her on the crown of the head, then jumped back none too soon. Her hand smashed right through where mine had been a second earlier. She flipped herself up, and looked around for the offender that had dared disturb her. I waved a hand to get her attention. "Easy. You were knocked unconscious. Are you okay?"

She patted herself down quickly, then looked up and replied, "Yep. Everything's in prime condition."

"Good." I turned to the camper. "All right. Thanks for waking me up, but it's time for us to go. We've got things to do and people to see." I wave and set off toward the barrier.

"Not so fast." All the helpfulness that had been in the camper's voice was gone, replaced by steel. I turned, and she had her bow nocked and aimed directly at my chest. "I don't know who you are, but you're not leaving here so easily. I'm taking you to Chiron." She slowly circled around us, and threatened us into moving where she wanted us to go.

My companion stiffened, and began reaching for her weapon. "We don't have to go anywhere!"

I put a hand on her arm. "Ree, calm down. Let's not antagonize the nice lady who has the weapon pointed at us," I soothed, then looked at our threatener. "Fine, we'll go with you. Just put the bow down, would you? It's making my skin crawl."

"I don't trust you. You'll just run off the second I let my guard down," she said.

"Okay, okay. I swear on the River Styx that I'll follow you to Chiron. Happy?" Thunder rumbled.

She visibly relaxed, and lowered the bow. "Yeah. It'll be faster this way. Thanks for doing that." We walked in silence for a few yards, then she spoke up again, "What are your names? I can't just keep calling you Spike-wannabe and Blue-Hair in my head. What'd you call her? Ree?"

I raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Spike wannabe?" I adjusted my black leather duster. "I'm flattered," I said, deadpan. "But my name's James." I tipped my head toward my companion. "She's Pyleria."

I waited expectantly for a few seconds as we walked, and then she finally said, "My name's Cara."

"Well then, nice to be threatened by you and forced to go where you want us, Cara." She opened her mouth to reply, but just then we broke through the trees and caught sight of Camp Half-Blood. I'll admit, it is an interesting place, and it's a bit odd to see Greek architecture in the middle of a forest.

We went mostly unnoticed until we were almost to the large house on one end. Then we were hailed by a large, loud camper, who was standing outside a red-painted cabin decorated with weapons and boar heads. "Hey, Cara! Nice going, abandoning your post! That's what, the third infraction this week? You're really not cut out for this, are you? Go home! Oh, wait. You can't." her whole cabin burst into harsh laughter.

Cara turned bright red and ignored them. _Ehh. Not making such a good first impression on me. I never really liked Ares anyway._ "Yo, half-wits!" I taunted. "If you had eyes, you would've noticed that she was accompanying us to Chiron! Too bad you can't see very well with those beady little things!" I then began counting down in my head. _Four, three, two, one. Now._

The entire cabin stared in shock, jaws slack. Evidently no one dared insult them like that, and they didn't really know how to respond. They had just gathered up their surprise, and the first speaker raised a spear as if to charge, when a loud, authoritative voice stopped her in her tracks. "Clarisse! Stop that this instant. Cara did exactly the right thing." I turned to face the speaker, a scholarly, yet still strong-looking… centaur. He was apparently satisfied with Clarisse's look of penitence, and turned to study us more closely. "Miss Jenkins, you did exactly the right thing by bringing them to me. Thank you. Now, please resume your post."

Cara nodded, her face returning to its usual color. "Yes, Chiron. I'll get right on that."

Chiron motioned for us to follow him back to the house. Once I had shut the door behind us, he cleared his throat. "Since you have never been here before, but have obviously survived for quite a few years, I trust I do not have to explain anything to you?"

I wrinkled my brow and asked, "How could you tell?"

"You carry yourself like a fighter. Also, I can see the scar on your neck. That would tend to give it away," he said dryly.

I rubbed the offending lump of tissue ruefully. "Your instincts are correct, but that scar didn't come from a monster." Before he could ask, I continued. "Well, I suppose we should be polite and introduce ourselves." I nudged Pyleria.

She jumped. "Oh! Well, uh, I'm Pyleria Murphy, daughter of a sea spirit." She looked at Chiron apologetically and shrugged. "I don't know which one though. We've even consulted a few seers, and all they could tell us is that he or she has been long forgotten."

I stepped forward and said, "I am James Murphy, blessed of Artemis."

Chiron raised an eyebrow, and stroked his chin. "I have heard those names before. Pyleria Giant-Slayer. I would never have imagined her to have… quite so vivid hair." Pyleria squared her chin defiantly, and he turned his gaze to me. "And the Curse-Bearer, son of-"

I cut him off, "That Olympian may have been responsible for my genesis, but I refuse to be associated with that sorry excuse for a god." Thunder rumbled overhead, and I tried to make my look at Chiron earnest but not threatening.

He was unimpressed, and said only, "Well, we're still going to have to put you somewhere. Pyleria, I think we have an open guest room here in the Big House. Do you mind staying here until we can figure something else out?"

Before she could respond, I said, "Whoa there. Don't you think that's a little presumptuous? We've been just fine all our lives outside your camp, and we'll be just fine for a while longer. Come on, Pyleria, let's go."

"I can't let you do that." I turned back to Chiron, incredulous. He continued, "An order came down from Olympus a few weeks ago. It was a decree from- from your parent, ordering me to keep you here at camp should you ever arrive. I thought it unlikely, and dismissed it, yet here you are. I suggest you get comfortable."

Pyleria piped up, "May we at least get our stuff from our base? We don't have much but the clothes on our backs."

Chiron smiled at her. "Of course, child. Tomorrow. Right now, we should turn our energies toward settling you in here. I'll get one of the senior campers to show you and help you get comfortable. James," he turned toward me, "I'm afraid you'll have to stay in- in your parent's cabin."

"Can't I just stay in the Artemis cabin? I _am_, technically, a Hunter." I pointed out.

"No. the rest of the Hunters arrived this morning, to 'catch up' with their friends here," Chiron said.

"The Hunters!" Pyleria nudged me. "We get to see the Thalia and Anne and Pellope and the rest!"

I corrected her, "Penelope." I locked eyes with Chiron. "I would appreciate if you don't go around telling people who I am. The Hunters know everything, but I don't want it to get spread around." A realization hit me. "Actually, have any of them heard of me?"

Chiron thought for a moment. "I do not think so. You are quite good at covering your tracks. Well, I must go now, to teach my archery class. I'll find a camper to settle you in after that, Pyleria. Goodbye." But just as he was about to walk out the door, he paused. "Oh, and James? You can sleep on the sofa here in the Big House. But just for tonight. Tomorrow, it's off to a cabin."

I called after him, "Thanks." When the door swung shut behind him, I turned to Pyleria and took off my duster. "Take this. And, I think I'll want my Celestial bronze longsword and back sheath." She accepted my coat, and with the other hand made a tossing motion. She caught a bundle, spinning gently on its descent, and handed it to me. I unwrapped it to reveal a sheathed sword hanging off a harness. I straightened my maroon T-shirt, then put it on with speed and surety born of much practice.

Pyleria fastened on her own sword, this time at her belt, and looked at me. "You know, this place feels really open. Alive. It's not all gloomy and shut-in, like Camp E-"

I clapped my hand over her mouth and finished her sentence. "Like the mortal summer camp we visited." I locked eyes with her. "Right?"

Her eyes widened at her near slip, and she pulled my hand away from her mouth. "Right. Totally. The _mortal summer camp._ Yup. Yessirree, that camp. What other one would I be talking about?" She flushed, and quickly pushed past me, heading toward the door Chiron had exited through earlier.

* * *

We stood on the porch for a second, wondering where to go and composing ourselves. Then suddenly we pointed in almost completely opposite directions. My finger led to a pillared arena, while Pyleria indicated a large building emanating strange noises, clanging and cracking and hissing. "Go on. Have some fun. Just… be careful, alright?" She gave me a big grin, and ran off to investigate. I watched her for a moment, smiling at her energy, but then fiddled with my harness for a moment before setting off to the arena. As I got closer, I heard more and more clearly the sounds of people training hard: grunting, clashing metal, and shouts of exhilarated victory.

"HYAAAAAH!" Clarisse from the Ares cabin earlier was in the center of the field inside the pillars, sparring with a tall, black-haired camper. Everywhere I looked, I saw people wearing orange shirts. Most were sitting in the stands around the edge, resting after their own sparring sessions. I decided to lean against a pillar and study the combatants. I quickly dismissed Clarisse as a threat. She may have been holding her own against the black-haired camper, but she fell prey to the most common mistake of Ares' children. She relied almost completely on force and brute strength, will very little technique. Her opponent, however, was a different story. He handled his sword with obvious skill, blocking every attack she made and counterattacking fluidly. He could easily have ended the fight long before I arrived, but for some reason he was prolonging it, never going on the offensive. Then suddenly, it all changed. He stopped an attack cold, then replied with a flurry of slashes, rocking her back on her feet and forcing Clarisse to backpedal. While her attention was divided, he quickly swept her feet out from under her with the flat of his blade, then held the tip to her throat. He held the pose for a second, then relaxed, and offered her a hand up. When she accepted, the stands erupted in applause, cut short when Clarisse raked the spectators with a glare. I was so preoccupied with the match I didn't notice someone approaching me.

"Haven't seen you before. Are you the guy who just came in today?"

I whirled, startled, to face a curly-haired blonde with a neutral expression on her face. I was about to nod and return to watching people spar when I noticed her stormy gray eyes. I immediately looked away, but replied, "Yes. I've been living on my own for a while. Well, my sister and I." When she raised her eyebrows, I explained, "We're not actually related. We met about six years ago, and kind of adopted each other. But we call ourselves siblings."

"Huh." I could feel her eyes roving over me, reading me. I took that opportunity to turn back to the fighting. "What's your name?"

I waited a beat before answering, "James. You?"

"Annabeth. You seem to be very interested in my boyfriend," she commented.

"Yeah. He's the best here. Hope you don't mind if I ask him to spar with me in a bit. I could use the practice." Out of the corner of my eye I saw her turn a little way toward me, and then smile.

"You're welcome to. If you think you're up to it. It should be fun to watch," she said. I could hear the laughter in her voice.

"Pardon me. I just saw an old friend, and it would only be polite to go over and… say hello." I bowed slightly to Annabeth, then walked around the arena, pausing at each pillar and checking to ensure my target remained unaware of my presence. I finally reached the last pillar, and discreetly peeked around. My eyes widened in surprise, not meeting the slim form of my target. Suddenly, I noticed a knife at my neck. "I surrender, Thalia. You win again. When did you notice me?" I asked, turning around.

Thalia dropped the hand holding the knife, and stepped back. "Four pillars ago. The hilt on your sword gave you away, sticking out from behind it. You haven't worn that in a while. What's wrong, Lady Artemis' gift not good enough for you?"

"Could you be a little less subtle? No, I just don't want to advertise it. Too many questions I don't want to answer," I said in a low voice.

"Eh, it's fine. It's good to see you, even if you are a _boy_." She smiled.

"You too, _girl_." I extended my hand, and she grabbed my forearm, and I did the same. We locked eyes, then let go. "So, I heard you arrived today. When's the capture the flag game I've heard so much about? The campers against the Hunters? It sounds quite exhilarating."

"Tomorrow. I think I'll enjoy wiping the smile off Seaweed Brain's face." Thalia smiled nastily.

"Well, technically I'm a camper now. So, I wouldn't bet on that. Later." I barely concealed my grin at her look of shock, and made my way toward the center of the arena.

"Hey! Hey, new kid!" I turned, to find myself face to face with Clarisse. She bellowed, "You insulted the Ares cabin! No one insults the Ares cabin and gets away with it!"

I smirked, pushing her dangerously close to the edge. "And what, exactly, are you going to do about it? Yell at me some more! Throw some half-baked insults?"

She reddened with rage. "FIGHT ME! Right here, right now! I won't let you go unpunished!"

_If you say so_, I thought. "All right. Ready, go." I ran along the seats of the bleachers toward the center field, scattering campers as I went. I skidded a bit on the gravel floor of the field, unsheathed my sword, and looked back the way I came, not a moment too soon. Clarisse was running al me, full-tilt, weapon at the ready. When she came close enough, she swung. I flicked my sword in a circular motion to deflect hers, but the impact jarred my hand, almost making me drop my sword. _Damn. I really am rusty. Sure hope I still remember enough to beat her, or I might have to use my-_ Clarisse slashed again and again, not letting up. Each time, I parried, but only barely diverting her sword from slicing into my flesh. _Gotta take the offensive. It's my only hope._ I dodged her last strike completely, and began attacking, myself. _Up, down, backhand, forehand, stab, overhand slash._ With each strike I began growing surer, muscles remembering old movements yet again. This time, Clarisse was on the defensive, backpedaling and blocking frantically. Then, her eyes hardened. I was ready when she rallied, switching from defense to offense as quickly as I had. We were caught up in a pattern of attacking, blocking, and counterattacking. But suddenly my foot slid on a patch of loose gravel, and Clarisse saw her opening. She slashed, and I barely moved my head enough to avoid her blade. But attacking like that left her exposed, and I put the tip of my sword to her throat. "I win." I stared her down until I thought she wouldn't attack me as soon as I turned my back, then lowered my sword and sheathed it. Unlike earlier, there was no sound as I ascended the steps and left the arena.

* * *

I wandered around the camp for a while, familiarizing myself with the layout of the camp. I found myself at the bank of a creek, looking out at a forest. I walked around the creek to enter the forest. As I crossed in, I was met with resistance, much as I had when I entered the camp. I continued anyway, and soon found myself surrounded by large trees. I sat down with my back to a tree and tried to meditate, but I was quickly interrupted.

"Hey! James, right? Thanks for sticking up for me back there. I was actually kinda surprised you did, considering I shoved an arrow in your face and all. No hard feelings, right? What are you doing out here?" Cara asked.

I looked at her. "I didn't do it for you. I've never really liked Ares. Plus, you were only doing your duty and they were making fun of you for it. That's it. No need to thank me."

"Oh. Well, Chiron sent me out here to tell you that dinner's in five minutes. He mumbled something about you needing a camper to show you around. I got volunteered, since I'm the one who brought you in. Come on," she said, then beckoned.

I got up slowly, then followed her, a bit reluctantly, I must admit. But as we drew closer, I began to detect delicious smells wafting from the dining area. I took a deep breath in through my nose, and then let it out with a contented sigh. "Beef brisket. It's been a while since I've had that. I think it'll be delicious."

Cara looked surprised. "How'd you know we were having beef brisket? You couldn't possibly have smelled it from here."

I froze for a second, then started rubbing my neck. "I was talking to someone earlier. I don't remember exactly who, but whoever it was mentioned beef brisket for dinner. Anyway, I'm going to run ahead. I'm really hungry!"

I slowed to a jog, then a walk, then stopped. Chiron was waiting outside the pillars, and his gaze locked on to me. "Ah, Mr. Murphy. Since you are very new here, and the Hunters have informed me that you are not allowed to eat with them, I had two extra places set for you and your, ah, sister at the staff table with myself and-"

"Dionysus?" I asked, nodding toward the god in question. "Yeah, that'll work. Thank you very much for arranging that." I quickly slipped through the crowd of campers bustling on their ways to sit down. When they had all settled, I was seated with an empty seat on either side of me, and Chiron beyond the chair on my right. Dionysus materialized in it, and I jumped.

"All right, all right. Settle down, you brats. We have some guests that arrived today." He droningly continued, "the Hunters of Artemis, and…" He leaned over to Chiron, who filled in the blank in his sentence.

"James Murphy, Blessed of Artemis, and Pyleria Murphy, unknown." Chiron gestured widely. "Let us eat!" Nymphs began serving large platters of food to each table.

Dionysus leaned over. "So, kid. You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

I grinned at him. "You should. I was the one did you that favor in New Orleans."

"Oh." He leaned back. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I'd hate for good wine grapes to go to waste." I accepted the platter of food from Pyleria, scraped a good portion of meat onto my plate, and passed it to Dionysus. I noticed the campers getting up and lining up for the brazier. I picked up my own plate and followed them. As it grew closer to me, I noticed that the campers were scraping some of their food into the fire and murmuring a prayer. When it came to my turn, I gave some of my brisket and thought, _Lady Artemis, thank you. You have guided me thus far through life, and I just ask you to keep helping me a little longer._ The smoke rose, carrying my prayer upward. I turned to go back to my seat when a burning pain burst upon my neck. I dropped my plate entirely, and clapped both hands to the side of my neck. Then, just as suddenly as the pain had come, it was gone. When I finally raised my head, everyone in the pavilion was staring at me. I frantically twisted, baring my neck to get a good look at it in the shiny side of the brazier. _What did-_ Then my eyes met what was on my neck, and I realized what had happened. I had been _branded_. I quickly pushed down the anger threatening to erupt, as I stared, unbelieving, at the- _it looks smug, I swear_- owl-shaped brand scar on my neck. "Fu-"

The blond camper, Annabeth, stood up and said, "James Murphy, son of Athena, goddess of wisdom, battle, and weaving! Hail!" Her fellow campers echoed her.

While they were busy making noise, I preoccupied myself with a prayer to Olympus. I kept it short, sweet, and to the point, with all the emotion I could summon up. "Screw you, Mother."

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed, feel free to leave a review (even if it's just criticizing me), and see (well, not really) you all next time with another installment. Ciao!**


	2. I Reveal My Past

**AN: Sorry this took so long. Once again, a shout-out to the talented ****anonymousHippocampus** and my amazing beta reader. I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: See Chapter One.**

**Update: I went back over this chapter in response to a review, and I hope that this version is better, and you enjoy it. Happy reading!**

* * *

The rest of the evening was a nightmare. The Athena campers welcomed me with open arms, showering me with food and questions. The food I ate until I felt full, but I didn't answer any of the questions. Several times I tried to slip away, but Annabeth would always manage to block my path and fix me with a fierce glare that sent me right back into the middle of the fray. I only managed to get away from them when Chiron announced that it was time to meet at the ampitheatre, and then only for a moment. I found Pyleria laughing at my predicament, and cut her off. "Can I please have my coat back? The moon is just past half tonight. It should be rising in a few minutes." Without a break in her mirth, she handed it to me, and I left with a frustrated look.

Annabeth quickly found me again, grabbed my arm, and said, "Come on. You have to come to the campfire. Senior counselor's orders." I started to protest, but she glared at me, and I quickly shut up. When we arrived at the campfire, the other campers had already started singing. Annabeth led me right into the middle of the Athena cabin, which was singing a completely unfamiliar song with great enthusiasm.

Since I didn't know any of the words, I just stood there, pretending to sing. I fiddled with my bracelets, tightening the chains. After an eternity of listening to enthusiastic but off-key voices singing songs about grandmothers and armor, everyone seemed to silently but collectively agree that it was time to stop. Orange shirts slowly scattered in all directions, heading toward one or another of the cabins I saw earlier. Annabeth led the way to a blue and gold cabin with an owl over the door. I rubbed my neck, remembering what I had seen in the reflection of the brazier. I slowly walked over to the door, but didn't go inside. Instead, I plopped down heavily just beside the door and leaned back against the wall.

"So, what do you have against us? You don't seem to be surprised to be claimed." Annabeth stood over me, and I had to crane my neck to look at her face. "Well, you shouldn't have been claimed just now. You're too old."

I sighed. "I wasn't. That was just Mother's way of making sure I didn't forget who I belonged to." I looked down, away from Annabeth. "You don't brand people. You brand property." There was no response, though she hadn't moved. "Oh well. You're the senior counselor, right? I guess you're entitled to know my story. I'll tell you tomorrow. I'm tired right now, and I just want to sleep." Without another word, Annabeth turned and entered the cabin. My _cabin now, _I thought. _ I don't think I'll ever get used to that. I won't sleep here tonight, but… _I sighed again. _Tomorrow night, I will. For now, a respite._ I reluctantly got up, every muscle in my tired body screaming for rest. I wandered over to the Pegasus stables, and flopped down behind it, in the shadow cast by the moon. After I took off my coat, I folded it and stuck it behind my head. As soon as my hair touched my makeshift pillow, I was out like a light.

I just _had_ to dream. Of course I had to dream. Every demigod has dreams. Not the ones where you skip around on clouds talking to woodland animals, but the dark, threatening kind where you foresee the end of everything you know. This one was no different. I mean, it started out innocently enough, with me accidentally walking out of the showers of the camp without my clothes, but it changed. The warm, sunny atmosphere of Camp Half Blood was replaced with a smothering darkness that surrounded me in every direction. I tried to move, and get out of the blackness, but no matter which way I ran, I still couldn't see anything. Suddenly, silver light surrounded me, forming a cone. Afraid to test it, I looked up to see the source. The moon broke the darkness, shining brighter than it ever possibly could in reality.

_YOU ARE IMPURE! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY! I WILL SCOUR YOU OFF THIS EARTH, YOU DISGUSTING BEAST! I WILL NOT LEAVE A SINGLE PART OF YOU TO SULLY THE EARTH WITH YOUR FOUL CURSE! DIE! DIE, FRIENDLESS AND ALONE!_

I was driven to my knees by the force of the voice, coming from all directions. It continued to batter me, getting louder and insulting me more until I couldn't take it anymore and yelled out. "Aaaaaaagh!" I sat up, breathing heavily and sweating. _I guess I woke myself up,_ I reasoned. _I am _not_ going back to sleep. What time is it, anyway?_ I grabbed my coat from the ground and stood up. The camp was silent, so I walked to the middle of the courtyard to get a better look at the sky. Is was mostly dark, but telltale rosy light glimmered on the horizon. Dawn would come soon.

When the sunlight finally found me, I was deep in the forest. I had found a fallen log and propped it up against a couple boulders to practice on. _Hand. Hand. Elbow. Kick. Elbow. Punch. Kick._ I fluidly moved through my practice forms, splintering the log more and more with every hit. I finally finished, panting from exertion. The log had several pieces missing, and the bark was gone where I had been striking it, leaving only bare wood. I laid it back down where I had found it, then turned around. "Ree. Morning. How long have you been standing there?" I greeted my blue-haired adoptive sister.

"Only a few minutes. Don't worry, you haven't bored me to death. I came to bring you breakfast, since you probably don't want to face the entire camp right now." She smirked. "And you were taking all your aggression out on some poor, defenseless log. What if a dryad lived in it?"

I took the plate from her, and sat down against one of the boulders. "Thanks. And I made sure to choose a _dead_ log, thank you very much. I wouldn't do that to a dryad."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh really. What about that time when-"

"Piss off. You know it's not a good idea to goad me. What if I lost control?"

She gave me a flat look. "You _never_ lose control. Well, you haven't for the past five years, anyway."

I raised a forkful of eggs. "Touché. So, how was your night? Did you sleep well in that big old house?"

"Yeah. I did some exploring, though. Guess what I found?"

"A four hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

She glared at me. "You're no fun. Fine, I'll tell you. There's this attic just full of stuff! And they don't even care about it anymore! You should've seen the dust!"

"How much did you take?" I asked.

"Just a couple things. You could probably sell them for a good profit!" She smiled broadly.

"Put. Them. Back. With our luck, they're probably going to need them right now, and we're going to get in trouble. Put them back." She looked at me, and tried to give me her best puppy-dog pout. I stared back stoically. "You should probably be getting back to camp now. We don't want Chiron getting worried."

She hesitated for a moment, then patted me on the shoulder and left. I quickly polished off the remains of my breakfast, then headed off, plate and fork in hand, to find the kitchen.

I made it as far as the dining pavilion, then just decided to stack it with the other mounds of dirty dishes resting on a table. I passed the cleaning harpies on my way out, jabbering about how they missed some camper out after curfew.

"What in Hades are you doing over here?" My arm was grabbed roughly, and I was dragged off. I barely avoided tripping over my own feet, and glared up at my captor. A camper, obviously a son of Athena, led the way to the archery range. "Why didn't you sleep in the cabin, you idiot? You got us all in trouble."

He finally let go, and I straightened my clothes. "Well, I'm used to living on my own. It was usually better to sleep outside on hunts, to be aware of monsters. And why would you get in trouble because of me?"

"Chiron was worried you'd run off, and then Mother would be angry with him. I told him not to worry. You still haven't fulfilled the promise you made to me yesterday, but I know you wouldn't go back on your word. I'll call you on it later, but first, archery practice. Since you're both late and a newbie, you get to go first," Annabeth said, cutting in.

I raised my hands and backed up. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm a really bad shot, and it'll be a catastrophe. Trust me, you don't want me to do this."

She gave me her most piercing glare, shoved a bow into my hands, and commanded, "Shoot."

"You were telling the truth after all. How in Hades are you blessed by Artemis, the goddess of hunting, and yet you still can't shoot straight? Honestly, I didn't know it was possible to be worse than Percy. For gods' sakes, you buried an arrow up to the fletchings _twenty yards in the wrong direction!_"

I patted the air placatingly. "Hey, I told you I was bad. Your fault for not believing me. Anyway, I guess it's time for me to fulfill my promise to you. I might as well kill two birds with one stone and tell Chiron, too, while I'm at it. Let's go to the, ah, Big House."

She raised an eyebrow, but sighed. "Fine. I don't know why you want to keep it a secret. We're all demigods here."

"I realize that, but…" I looked down at my feet. "Once you hear my story, you'll understand."

Annabeth opened the Big House door. "I sincerely doubt it." She led the way inside, where Chiron was finishing up a meeting with Thalia.

"Ah, yes, Thalia. I think that is all I need for now. You just go prepare for the game of capture-the-flag later." He added under his breath, and I strained to hear, "Not that you've ever needed preparation." Thalia nodded at us, and then glared at me as she left. Once she had gone, Chiron cleared his throat. "Miss Chase, if you would be so kind as to lock the doors. I do believe our guest would like assurance of privacy."

"Thank you for your consideration, sir." I nodded. "Now, what I am about to tell you, you must swear never to tell anyone else unless I okay it." Chiron nodded. Annabeth rolled her eyes, but nodded as well. "All right. My story begins exactly eighteen years and six months ago. March fifteenth, nineteen ninety six. A man by the name of Ryan Matthews ran a very successful architectural company in Las Vegas. He had been happily married for a year and a half, and his wife was extremely proud of his accomplishments. Ryan was very happy, until that day. You see, he had caught the eye of Athena. She was quite enamored of him, and believed that a child born of them would grow up to do great things. She had approached him before in disguise, urging him to have an affair. But he refused her, and she grew angry. So she decided to take matters into her own hands. That fateful day, she inspired herself to bear a child based on Ryan's mind. She had Zephyr, the west wind, carry the newborn boy to Ryan's doorstep, with a note detailing what she had done, and who she was. He found the baby and the note. He read it, and knew it was true, with the intelligence that had so attracted Athena-"

"_No!_ That can't be true! You're lying!" Annabeth rose out of her seat, and pointed the dagger directly at my chest. "Mom would never do something like that!"

"Oh really?" I addressed her, rising myself. "In most of the Greek myths, you hear of some god or other raping a poor mortal woman. Is it really so hard to believe that the reverse can happen as well?" I bit back the rising tide of anger, and busied myself with tightening my bracelets.

Annabeth looked ready to slice me open when Chiron gripped her arm. "Annabeth. Listen to me. I'm afraid what he is saying has some truth to it. I have heard something like this at about that time, but no names were mentioned, and I dismissed it as unimportant." She paled, and looked at him. "I'm sorry. Just hear him out."

I sat back down. "Thank you, Chiron. As I was saying, the baby she had forced on him was sent to his doorstep. He brought it in, but when his wife saw the baby, his marriage fell apart. She suspected him of having an affair, and immediately left him. Soon after, he spiraled into depression. He lost his business and his home mere weeks after it happened. He couldn't take it anymore, and left the child at an orphanage." I met first Chiron's gaze, then Annabeth's. "But that's not all. The reason Athena was so anxious to have a child was because she had gotten into an argument with Artemis. Zeus commanded them to make up, because the mortal world was beginning to be affected, so Athena looked for a peace offering. She finally decided on one of her own children, and Ryan's son was dedicated to Artemis. Now, he could never join the Hunters, but still both Artemis and Athena watched over the boy." I slouched back in the chair. "Since then, I was shunted from foster home to foster home. The longest I lasted was thirteen months. Finally, I got fed up, and decided to run away. My foster family at the time had another child to foster, a girl. Upon discovering that she, too, was a half-blood, I took her when I ran away. That was six years ago, and we've been on our own since. With occasional joining forces with the Hunters, of course." I breathed out deeply. "Oh, wait. I forgot something. As if to add injury to insult, Athena stripped me of the wisdom that was my birthright, leaving me instead with only implanted knowledge of how to fight."

"Oh, poor you. You only know how to fight. How hard that must be," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"You don't understand. You, at least, can plan battles, solve problems, or even weave instinctually. Literally all I can do is fight. I was made for battle, traded as if I were _property_. That is why I despise Athena. Do you understand now?" I pushed my face as close as I dared to Annabeth's, and locked eyes with her. Chiron coughed, and I broke the gaze. I walked to the door, fiddling with my bracelets as I went. With a flick of my wrist, the door unlocked. I opened it and walked outside to the porch. And stared out, reflecting on my past. Soon, instead of the strawberry fields, I began to see images of the past. _The first time I killed a monster. The one demigod foster family. When I got my first real sword._ At first, it was all memories from my brief childhood, but my mind quickly drifted to others. _Meeting Pyleria for the first time. Watching her practice with a wooden sword. Learning to control the curse. Bleeding on the ground as she fought off monsters._ I must have stood there for a while, because the sun was much lower in the sky when Chiron broke my trance.

"Ah, James? It is almost time for capture-the-flag. Are you ready?" he asked.

I jumped slightly. "What?! Oh, sorry. Just lost in thought. Yes, I am ready. Where do we meet?"

"Follow me," he said.

When we arrived, the tables of the dining pavilion were covered in armor and weapons. I looked over it all, but decided on just loosening my sword in its sheath. A person in full armor approached me, and I ignored them until they hugged me. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Oh! Sorry!" The person stepped back and pulled off their helmet, revealing a bright blue head of hair. "I forgot you couldn't see my face. "

"It's fine. I'm just glad it was you and not that girl who found us-"

"Hi, James! What's up? Hey, do you want to team up for the game? I'm sure we'd work well together!"

"Speak of the devil," I muttered to Pyleria. Then, out loud, "Nah. I think you'd do better perched in a tree, so you can pick off the Hunters with your bow."

She smiled widely. "Oh, I hadn't thought of that! That's a good idea! I'll do that." Cara walked off, hopefully to scout out a perch.

"Campers, are you ready?" A loud cheer. "Hunters, are you ready?" Chiron asked.

"We're always ready to win!" Thalia yelled.

She was booed by the campers, but looked unfazed. Chiron cleared his throat. "You know the rules! No maiming or killing, and the creek is the boundary! Begin!"

The campers and Hunters split, and each group ran off into the forest. I followed the campers, with Pyleria close behind. Once I had passed the border, I turned to her. "Guard the creek. You can react quickly if they try to get the flag over to their side. Don't let that happen. Okay?" She nodded, and took up a position right next to the water. I faded back into the forest to wait until the Hunters made an attempt on our flag. After about a minute of waiting, I heard a horn being blown. It must have been a signal, because Hunters rushed out of their territory and over the creek. From my hiding place in the bushes, I watched as they ran by. When they had gone, I stood up and invaded their territory myself. I noticed a rise in the ground, and I followed it to a small hill. At the top of the hill, I saw the Hunters' silver flag. I began to run towards it, but an arrow embedded itself into a tree trunk next to my face.

"Give it up, James! You know you can't beat my arrows! Just surrender now!" Thalia yelled. I ducked behind the imperiled tree for cover. After a few seconds, I popped my head out. Another arrow whizzed past my face, and I pulled my head back just in time, but not before I pinpointed where the arrows were coming from. I unsheathed my sword, gathered my courage, and stepped out of cover. I swung the sword into a shaft of setting sunlight and directed it right toward the hidden archer. I was pleasantly rewarded with an, "Auuggghh!" of pain. I took the opportunity and sprinted for the flag, jumping over tripwires as I went. I grabbed the flag, and headed back the way I came. Arrows followed me, scant millimeters from punching through my skin. I was almost to the creek when Thalia jumped down in front of me, bow drawn and pointed directly at my chest. "Don't move. Drop the flag and then back away."

Before I could say something sarcastic, like, "Well, which do you want?" I caught a glimpse of movement behind her. Without visibly moving, so as to not give away my plan, I tensed up, ready to fight. Thalia opened her mouth, presumably to deliver another ultimatum, when I threw my sword. It clattered off a tree thirty feet behind her, leaving her untouched. But my plan had had its intended effect. The gryphon paused in its stalking of Thalia, and stared directly at me. Our eyes met, and it let out a great screech as it launched itself towards me. _Dammit. I just threw away my weapon. Guess I'll have to-_ I threw my arms out in front of me and flicked my wrists. I caught the gryphon in its headlong charge, and was bowled flat. I laid there for a moment, stunned, and then the monster exploded into a cloud of dust, revealing my hands- and the weapons they held. Now exposed to the light were twin short swords, each with a fanglike point. Not even the campers who had rushed in moved, until someone else shattered the silence.

"Yeeeeeaaaaaaah! Artemis!" A Hunter yelled, bursting out of the trees toward the creek. Just as she was about to cross, a figure blurred along the creek and plowed into her, knocking her back onto camper territory. I took advantage of the sudden distraction and dashed towards the creek. I took a flying leap over it, and landed on the other side, flag in hand. Everyone watched, stunned, as the flag turned from the Hunters' silver to the orange of the campers' shirts.

After a moment, the campers rushed toward me and lifted me up. They tried to carry me around, but I grabbed a branch and swung myself out of their grip. I tossed the flag down to them. _Whap._ "Ow! What the hell was that for?" I yelled, clutching the back of my head.

"That was for killing the gryphon. I was perfectly able to handle it myself, and you had to go and kill it." _Whap_. "And that one was for winning and betraying the Hunters," Thalia said as she stood over my curled body.

I purposefully rolled off the branch. "Well, it's not like I'm even accepted, so I wouldn't count it as betrayal. Plus, it's just capture the flag." I tightened my bracelets with a false relaxed air.

_Whap._ "What in Hades was that? I thought you came clean!" Annabeth almost yelled.

"Hey! You can't do that! Only I can!" Thalia yelled, following my lead and coming nose to nose with Annabeth. "He disgraced us! Ruined our perfect record!"

While they were distracted yelling at each other, I quickly signaled to Pyleria, and escaped before either could actually get their hands on me. I met her just outside the forest barrier, next to the creek. "Nice job, Ree! She was really surprised. Thanks for setting the stage so I could bring the flag across." When she didn't reply, I looked at her face. She appeared to be staring over my shoulder. Fearing the worst, I flicked my wrists, ready to defend myself against the lieutenant Hunter and the counselor. What I actually saw was slightly more surprising: the black-haired camper from the arena leaning against a tree.

"How'd you do that? Sliding across the creek, I mean. Even I can't do that, and I'm a son of Poseidon," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Hello, Percy Jackson," His jaw dropped, and I continued, "What? You just told me you are a son of Poseidon, and the only hero by that description is Percy Jackson. You're famous, you know. You shouldn't expect anonymity when you're about as powerful as a minor god." Percy started mouthing "anonymity," but stopped.

"Wait, what? I'm as powerful as a minor god? No, I'm just a normal-"

I crooked an eyebrow. "Normal what? Hero? Child of Poseidon? You just happen to be the most powerful hero in over two hundred years. Come on, you've fought Titans on almost equal footing and you're trying to tell me you didn't notice?" Percy's eyes and mouth widened as comprehension dawned across his face. "I mean, really. You've out-heroed Hercules, basically the most famous hero of all time."

He stared at his hands in shock, then found his voice. "But, but Dad never said anything! He never said that I was special! Well, he did, but not that special!"

"He's a _god_," I deadpanned. "He's had hundreds of kids, with all kinds of different power levels. For example, in the myths, Perseus and Theseus were never documented with anything like what you or even Jason can do. You're powerful, Percy." I patted Pyleria's shoulder. "She's just skillful. Anyway, I'm James, and my cerulean-haired sister here is Pyleria. And the reason she can do what she did is-"

"I'm the daughter of a sea spirit." Pyleria brushed me aside. "I can kind of 'skate' across water's surface, among other things."

Percy perked up. "Would you mind showing me? I haven't really met any other half-bloods that can do anything like I can. It would be really cool. I'll show you what I can do!"

"Yay, you're both water people. Go have some water fun. Meanwhile, I'll be finding a safe place to hide from Annabeth and Thalia. Bye." I waved curtly, and ran off. _The Pegasus stables? No, too open. Under the dock? No, I don't want to get wet. _Then I got a brilliant idea. I laid false trails- a footprint here and there- and then snuck to my newly chosen hiding spot. I opened the door, looked inside to make sure neither girl was already there, and quickly shut it behind me.

"So you decided to move in after all. Now we won't get in trouble anymore," the camper from earlier said. "Welcome to Cabin Six."

Yup, this was my brilliant plan. Hiding where neither would think to find me. My _dear_ mother's cabin. There was no way this could go wrong.

"Well, Annabeth isn't here, but you can take this bunk. It's empty, even during the summer. As far as I know, no one has ever used it. I'm Malcolm, by the way." Malcolm waved me over to a bunk two over from his. "Make yourself at home. Because you are home."

_Not likely. This is just a place I have to rest my head at for a little while._ I sat down on the bunk, and paper rustled. I slipped a hand between the sheets, and came out with a piece of parchment. _So not paper, then. Odd._ And then I read the words upon it. It was a prophecy.

_Wisdom's child, spawn of Olympus' shun/ The sea god's scion, the cursèd wolf-king's son/ The daughters of the healer and forgotten one/ Will stop the rise of the wild, moon and sun/ But if they fail ere autumn's done/ Hope is lost; peace granted to none._

In the margins, someone had written notes, apparently trying to interpret the prophecy. Things like: _spawn of Olympus' shun = Nico?_ Or _Who is the cursed wolf-king? What does it mean by his son?_ Or _the wild, moon, and sun? Why are they rising?_ Then understanding dawned on me. "No. No. Nononononononono. This can't be happening. This can't be happening! NO!" I stared at the piece of paper in horror.

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I felt a pricking sensation on my neck. "You had better have a _very _good explanation for why you have that. You have ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight…" Annabeth growled.

"First off, it was in my bed. Secondly, I know what the prophecy is talking about." I tried to keep my voice calm, so as not to antagonize the person holding a knife to my throat.

She immediately dropped it. "_What_." Her voice was hard and cold. I opened my mouth to elaborate, but she cut me off. "Save it. Whatever you know, it can wait until a full meeting of all the head counselors. If you do know anything, you're going to share it with everyone." The hand on my shoulder flipped me around, and Annabeth pushed me out the door and to the Big House. She forced me to sit down on a couch, directly facing Dionysus. "Stay here. I'm going to get the other head counselors. Mr. D, would you please keep an eye on him? He may have some information pertaining to the prophecy that we've been struggling with." She left abruptly, but not without fixing me with a glare. I sat still in my seat, twiddling my thumbs until she was out of sight.

Dionysus looked at me, although his was one of evaluation, not irritation. "So, boy. What is this fuss all about?"


End file.
